Skybound - Colors of Sburbia
by J.B.Puffin
Summary: A group of eight high-schoolers finds themselves trapped in a Sburb-like Magic the Gathering clone. No familiar faces here - just two worlds blended into one, and an octet forced to bring about a new beginning...or a total end.
1. A Quick Prologue - Get in the Game

Before I get started with the actual story, let me tell you another: I'm a crossover fanatic. Most of my works bridge things, always with my own little twists, and after having already getting something on our sister site, I figured I might as well tip my hand and write a pure crossover thing. So, with that in mind, let's get started with...A PROLOGUE!

* * *

><p><em>*Ring ring, ring ring* *Click*<em> "Hey, Kyle, you there?" a voice asks.

He sleepily stumbles from his bed, grabbing the small rectangle. "I am now, Judas. What's going on?"

"Me and the gang are thinking about buying that new Wizards of the Coast game, _Skybound_, and I was wondering if you wanted me to get you a copy," Judas answers, "Whaddya say, bro?"

"Sure, man, I love free stuff," the other boy smiles, wiping the sleep away with a coffee-brown arm.

The caller laughs. "Typical Kyle. Anyway, I'll have it by 3; think I can stop by to test it? My GameBrain broke on me, and we're all playing around then."

"No problem, Judester. See you then, I need to get some tea."

"Alright. Later."

Kyle closes the call, then heads downstairs, hoping to find his teacup where he'd left it. Lately, something had gotten the idea to move it around at night, and even after calling the police and the local exorcist, nothing had changed. Grabbing it off the kitchen counter, grateful for the break, the eighteen year old starts a kettle and goes back upstairs for his sister.

A voice at her door tells Laura she'd better shut the screen of her computer down, fast. "Laura, you up?"

"Yeah, I just got up," she lies. Kyle ought to know by now she never slept, in part thanks to her friends and in part the coffee machine and mini fridge by her desk, but old habits die hard for the fourteen year old.

"Sure you did, sis," comes the other side of the threshold, "Anyway, Judas is coming at 3, which means I'm heading to McDonalds for breakfast. You dressed to get some fast food?"

A moment passes, accompanied by manic shuffling from behind the wooden barrier. Kyle backs up to allow Laura onto the balcony. "Let's go, I'm starving. Can I get fries?"

"Why not? It is your birthday, after all," he smiles, ruffling her crimson-streaked locks, "Now let's hurry, we've only got an hour before he gets here with _Skybound. _Now where did that wind put my keys?"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Judas, a St. Louis Cardinals cap bouncing on his closely-trimmed head, heads for Walmart, a stack of twenty-dollar bills in his pocket. He had already arranged to meet the others outside and pay for their copies, and since it was Laura's birthday knew he might as well get her a copy for her laptop. Why she still used that dinosaur was no mystery to Judas - it used a separate Gamma-Net connection, meaning she didn't have to keep her history - but it was impressive that even in 2021, such things still were used instead of the GameBrain.<p>

Judas sees his girlfriend Sofia first; a quick exchange of saliva later, and the two are walking arm-in-arm to the electronics section, browsing for a small group of just-graduates.

"How was Phoenix?" the Mexican beauty on Judas' arm asked, "I missed you these past few days."

"Babe, we talked every night for hours, you know how it was - my parents want me to move back in with them, but they don't have the guts to withdraw my allowance, and at least one of my sisters is pregnant. Again."

Sofia flashes a knowing grin, a single curl bouncing into her beloved's neck. "I'm still surprised you keep leaving Dallas whenever they ask; seems like it'd be easier just to let the old farts rot, you know?"

"If he did that, then he'd lose his free tickets to Six Flag every year," a carrot-topped boy with a Canadian accent remarks from behind them. The two jump at the sound of Carson's voice, but quickly turn on him with joking punches. Shortly thereafter, they're joined by Lisa, Louisa and Jack, and they make their way to the _Skybound _display.

"I thought more people would've shown up by now," Jack wonders aloud, "Didn't they get the memo? 'Best game ever, coming out today'?"

Lisa shrugs. "They may have already gotten a copy. I heard the store was swamped around 3 am."

"Good thing they cleaned it up before we got here; I'd hate to get these shoes water-logged," her twin sister says. It was a popular theory that Louisa and Lisa were actually once Siamese twins, connected at the brain, but were separated unevenly.

Carson starts to glance around the various displays. "Where's Kyle? Didn't you tell him-"

"He just got up, Carson - I say he's getting breakfast," Judas answers with an edge.

"Okay, okay, sheesh," the Canadian mumbles, "Just asking where a friend is...hey look, _Skybound!_"

They make a mad dash to the counter, pushing Judas ahead of them like a convicted medieval criminal. A confused clerk takes his cash and tosses packages into the small crowd, handing Judas the last three, before taking off for a lunch break. The graduates scatter, migrating towards their various vehicles, and Judas drives to Kyle's house. Strange clouds are forming on the horizon...

* * *

><p>Kyle comes to the door, a Jace Beleren T-shirt and skinny jeans barely on him. Laura, already in the living room, is readying the Game Brain, hooking up a trio of helmets to the chrome contraption. Judas hands his friend their copies (he'd gotten two for Laura so she could play with them) and takes his out of the package, reading the box methodically.<p>

"What is this game supposed to be about, anyway?" Laura asks, handing the charitable lad a green and gold helm.

"It's an open-world Magic the Gathering game, like an Elder Scrolls game," Judas explains to her, donning his controller, "The character building is mostly random, and the game is constantly moving even when we aren't playing. Other than that, I really don't know what to expect."

Kyle takes a seat on the reclining chair next to Laura, already wearing his hat. "Just heard from the others; they're waiting on us at the moment. Fire it up, Laura."

There's a brief flash, followed by some loud buzzing. Then, they hear a series of explosions from all around them. It seems so real...

The next thing they realize is that their helms have been destroyed; apparently, the game was a LOT more interactive then it'd been given credit for. Just as they're about to start reaching a conclusion, however, they all fall to the floor, unconscious.

These are the events that led to the end of the world, April 13, 2021.


	2. Chapter 1: Past, Present, Power

Jack retakes control of his body and shakes himself awake, pushing off the ground with a grunt. 'Good job, everyone,' he thinks, 'Way to end the world in style.'

"Guys," Jack calls into his iWatch, "Anyone up? We need a plan."

"_Silly human; where you're going, you won't NEED plans!_" A rush of air behind him clues him in to the presence of another creature in the room with him. Without thinking, Jack runs for his closet and reaches for his plastic lightsaber. The collector barely has time to grab the faux-weapon and turn when a scrawny goblin charges towards him, slobbering and extending its claws. He swings, feels contact momentarily - and is shocked when it slices clean through his attacker with a furious flash, reducing it to ash in a single slash.

Jack twirls the hilt in his hands, retracting the now-dangerous edge. The pile of goblin ashes has reformed into a card on the floor, a reward for victory; he attempts to pocket it, then finds himself entering a game interface, the world around him pausing. "So this is what being an RPG character feels like," the stunned graduate whispers.

Three tabs make up his "pause screen": Spells, Stuff and Self. Jack opens the Spells tab and finds that his only spell is the **Goblin Savage**, which he cannot cast. Looking for his colors under the Self tab, he finds that his starting color is **Orange**, and that the game likes to keep secrets, giving him only his color and maximum Health. In the name of completion, Jack finds his Stuff includes, for the moment, a lightsaber, a school-suitable outfit, and a shiny armlet he'd gotten from his father before...whatever the hell had just happened. For the moment, in fact, the source of the apocalypse troubles Jack's mind the most - he can deal with goblins and planes, but killing his family? No way that was gonna fly. He wasn't always the most fun guy to be around, but he needed his family and friends...friends...

"Halloooo?" the orange planeswalker calls into his phone, "Anyone out there? Seriously, guys, don't leave a brother hanging-"

The screeching of high-energy particles answers Jack, along with a curse. "Son of a bitch goblins! At least **Flash**ing works. Hi Jack; how're you?"

"I'm fine, thanks Louisa. I'm not sure how you fit **White **at all, but it's nice to hear your voice. You're at your house, right?"

"Yeah, me and Lisa are here. It's pretty crowded, though - bring something sharp."

Jack twirls his lightsaber, a wicked grin sprouting on his face. "Don't worry about that, good woman. I've got just the thing."

* * *

><p>Laura climbs to her room as fast as her legs can carry her, still dazed from the sudden collapse. Behind her, Kyle and Judas are piled on top of a now-unarmed goblin, occasionally throwing punches to pass the time. Reaching the door of her bedroom, she quickly swings the door open and immediately shut, then stands before it to examine her choices.<p>

Now, Judas' sister has a thing for knives and magic; the multitude of Wiccan books, Aztec sacrificial daggers and other occult resources/sharp things on her shelves doesn't leave much to infer. She grabs her _Spellbinder's Almanac_ and a Celtic long knife from her shelf, then opens her Stuff tab and sticks the objects into a small "Alchemy" box. Laura fuses the two, naming her wicked weapon Hexenmesser (German for "witch knife"), and checks the rest of her tabs. She discovers her color affiliation is **Purple**, and that she knows a quick-to-cast spell called **Flaw**, which reduces its target's armor. Confidently, Laura exits her room, walks to the balcony and, her knife positioned to strike, expertly dives onto the goblin, crushing its larynx and destroying its heart simultaneously.

Kyle, wiping blood spatter from his face, grabs a fire iron from the nearby fireplace and twirls it like a cheerleader. "Incredible as always, sis," he claps her on the back.

"Could you do that before we came here?" Judas marvels, "Because if so, I should have been a **lot** more afraid of you."

"It definitely isn't new," Laura shrugs, a twinkle popping into place behind her eyes.

Feeling more secure in their abilities, the trio make their way to the kitchen - Kyle keeps his Magic cards in the bread box - and realize Jack had messaged them over their iWatches. A moment of embarrassment later, and some back and forth while Jack is walk-stab-walking his way towards the twins' house, they open up the bread box...and instead find a cluster of eight crystals, one for each of them and their friends.

"So we grab our color, right?" Laura asks, unsure.

"Yeah," Judas agrees, "It's safest that way."

With a nod, Kyle reaches for **Green**, and his Spells tab explodes with options. Laura and Judas, purple and **Red** respectively, are similarly blessed. Now, the only question is getting these to the others without-

Yellow, blue, white and orange flashes, along with a surge of black which quickly fades, bring the others into the room, their crystals already processed.

Jack is rather stunned, but manages to keep his composure. "That sure saved some time," he quips.

"Yeah, now we aren't waiting in a house for a couple hours for Your Royal Forceness," Louisa replies, taking the random teleporting in stride.

"At least we have spells now," Carson says, still glowing slightly **Yellow**, "What's our next move, guys?"

A paragon of her color, Laura's thoughts are instantly on the crystals. "We really ought to figure out what those were, guys."

"I agree," Sofia's **Blue** side quickly engaging, "It couldn't hurt to start digging into the story of this world now, while we aren't bogged down with quests."

"First things first, though," Kyle raises a hand, making his way out of the kitchen.

Lisa, still somewhat shadowed by **Black**'s influence, brandishes an air rifle. "And what would that be, oh distinguished advisor?"

"We need to get our other stashes. Sure, none of y'all collected as much as me, but we ought to get something out of it, right?"

"That makes sense," Louisa agrees, "but where do we go first? Why our stuff and not a game shop, anyway?"

Jack's eyes make a round trip to the back of his skull. "Because that's where the droves of monsters are _coming_ from, Miss Virtue. That still doesn't explain why you're already heading out the door, Kyle."

"I gotta take a shit; that so much to ask, brother?" He replies, clearly dying internally.

"While we're here, we can trick ourselves out anyway," Laura advises, "We all know how much stuff my brother and I've gotten over the years. Let's abuse it."

Carson cracks his knuckles. "Hell yeah, that's what I call proactivity. I call the basement!" In a mere instant, the Canadian is halfway across the house, showing off his lightning-quick **Blink** spell.

"Alright, then, guys, let's ROLL, " Judas declares, and the smash-and-grab begins.

* * *

><p>Kyle, exiting the restroom after his pitstop with a goblin kill to his name, heads for his parents' room. He knows that there's something for him to find - probably green giving him some insight - and isn't at all surprised to find that Laura has a similar idea. A box at the top of the closet says "For Kyle and Laura"; seeing this as a good a time as any, Kyle retrieves it and places it on the bed. His sister pulls herself from under the bed at his askance, and the pair open the latch together. Each of them has a manilla envelope with their name on it, which they quickly tear open. Within moments, however, the world is turned upside down.<p>

Laura begins mumbling to herself, her brain desperately working to follow. "They didn't tell him...why not? He has the right to-"

"She's adopted!?" her brother bursts, tearing through the rest of the letter, "'We knew how much you always wanted a little sibling, but when we went to the hospital that day, your mom had a miscarriage, and a young lady who was going to her put her daughter up for adoption heard about it...' Did they not trust me, Laura?"

"I don't know, Kyle - I can't even fathom what they were thinking to themselves to keep their conscience clean."

Jack came into the room, alerted by the noise. "Everything okay, Kyle?"

"...Jack, Laura's adopted. I'mmm not-t he-her b-broth-th-ther," he stammers, tear stains outlining the cracks in his cattail-brown skin.

"So does that mean," Lisa appears, without warning, "that you're going to have to redefine your relationship? Is there a better word than 'step-sibling' for such a thing?"

Laura throws her knife into the wall behind the black-hearted sorceress. "He's still my brother, even from another mother. That's all that matters, not how that came to be or any blood ties."

"But how long will that last?" the unfazed sniper finishes, leaving the room like a wisp of smoke.

"We'll work it out," Kyle whispers to himself, then more loudly, "We're alright; get back to work, Jack, it's cool."

A simple nod, and the Jedi complies. The witch is a little less certain, however. "Are you sure you're okay, bro?"

"...I will be," he lightly grins in response, his gut twisting like a pretzel with the words.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, underneath the house, Carson rips open a box of old computers. He calls Judas over, and the pair start shovelling parts into their Stuff tab.<p>

"You know what's funny?" the carrot-topped Canadian casually inquires.

The brawler shrugs. "I dunno, what're you referring to exactly?"

"You and Sofia are opposite colors - so are Louisa and Jack. Do you think that'll have any effect on your relationships?"

"That's actually a good question; I don't really know yet, but it could make things a bit more interesting."

They collect the box itself and move on to one filled with voodoo supplies. "You know, Lisa and I are kind of allies."

"Really?" Judas raises an eyebrow, "I thought Yellow and Black were neutral?"

Carson smirks. "There's no such thing as a neutral combination; besides, both of our colors are willing to ignore moral boundaries to get things done. Of course, I'm about progress, and she wants all the power, but those aren't mutually exclusive."

"Are you trying to tell me something, Carson?"

The labor pauses. The speedster breathes heavily, then silently bursts.

"Lisa and I have been sleeping together for the past three months."

"...Why are you telling me?" Judas whispers

Carson responds in kind. "I need it off my chest - keeping it a secret has been murder on my spirit."

"That would explain the tension in your back...you know something, though?"

"What's that?"

"Sometimes, Lisa won't want to do things the fast way, she'll want them her way. You might find yourself stopping to let her catch up, if you're sure you wanna do this."

The yellow magus instantly responds. "I'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now, what's in this next box?"

* * *

><p>Louisa, who'd always wanted to see Laura's room for herself, finds Sofia already digging around - specifically, helping herself to a canned Double Shot Espresso from the mini-fridge. After grabbing one herself, the white cleric sits at the computer desk and pokes around on the laptop, violating perhaps every social protocol a normal house guest could.<p>

"So, Louisa, any plans now that the world's gone to hell?" Sofia asks, swinging her legs while sitting on Laura's springy bed.

"Besides single-handedly repopulating the earth?" the questioned replies, spinning her frying pan on a finger, "I want to go on a date with Jack before things get too crazy. He's a nice guy, and for all the crap we've given him about staying single his whole life, someone ought to give him a chance."

The blue mage's eyes cloud. "Yeah, nice for an ignorant autarkist who doesn't know how to isolate himself completely and takes it out on us."

"He's not that bad, Sofia; you just didn't know Judas when he was like that, the traitorous bastard he's never been to you."

"You sure are confident about this. I wish you luck."

The princess flashes a smile. "Thanks, you too. Now, let's see if we can find her stash."

"Stash? Laura's stash of what?"

"Weed, duh," Louisa rolls her eyes, "She's a witch; if there's no weed here, it's a crime against nature."

Sofia cocks her head. "But owning it would be a crime against the federal government, Louisa. I'm pretty sure you won't find any-"

"Right bookshelf, hollow Geometry textbook," Laura calls from her parents' room.

"See, Sofia? Simple as that," the white mage smirks, taking several bottles out of a tenth grade math book.

She stares at the pills inside, a discomfortingly hungry look in her eye - and then the drugs are thrust back into the book, which slams shut and returns to its seat on the shelf.

"What the hell was that for!" Louisa exclaims, frying pan in battle-ready position.

"Not now, not ever," Sofia mutters to herself, "Not now, not ever, not again..."

Laura, Messer drawn, sticks her head through the door - and watches a large door swing open from the same wall as the bed. A door, which had never been there before, opening to a staircase that sure as hell hadn't been there. "Girls, I think you've scared the house into evolution."

"That's just swell," Jack chimes, "Alright, guys, weapons drawn; let's see what we can take from this brand new structure."

"First, though, time to break down my room," the purple witch inserts, smashing her shelves and picking up mini-fridge and laptop in a single motion.

Kyle enters in after the quartet. "It's nice to see you're renovating this place after ten years, sis."

"No time for this, SMASHY SMASHY!" Carson screeches, barreling over the others with gymnastic grace and hurtling through the door.

"Well, don't just stand there," Judas calls from inside the hall, breathing somewhat heavily, "go after him! Who knows what trouble he'll get into."

And so, in a madcap dash for stuff, the seven remaining planeswalkers charge up a spiral staircase to reach their friend. A distance back, however, a shadow looms in Laura's room, a wicked grin materializing on the wall...


	3. Chapter 2: Crazier Than Kansas

Chasing Carson isn't easy - going to Nationals for his 4oo-meter dash and active membership in numerous sports organizations had shaped his legs like a hammer on red-hot metal - but with some collaboration on Judas and Laura's parts they make it to the top only seconds after the speedster. The top of the towerlike growth, however, is more than a simple room.

"Carson!" Lisa calls out, her eyes sparking with panic, "Damn it, which way did he go?"

Kyle inhales deeply through his nostrils, viridescent smoke ascending with the air. "I've got a trail on him - due south, maintaining his original speed. That's a lot of distance to cover, though."

"We ought to split up; there's no telling the structure of this thing that far from here," Sofia prophesizes.

"Good idea," Judas nods, "Lisa, you go with Kyle - he's got the scent, and you're are best hope to get him to stop. Laura and Jack, check the opposite side - God knows this could end up a long, winding circle. I'll go with Louisa east, for similar reasons; Sofia works best alone and can stay here in case our nomadic friend returns. Sound good?"

A series of shrugs, silent nods and vague grunts intimates the group's general approval; rather hurriedly, they split off and begin the search, eager to both explore the bizarre outcropping as well as locate their yellow Canadian. There's no telling what else they might find, though...

* * *

><p>Kyle pants, holding his hands against his knees. After several years of separation from exercise in general, the druid's endurance maintains a rather low peak, but green's natural energy helps some. Even so, Lisa's insistence in conjunction with the strain on his muscles - Kyle already feels worn out.<p>

"Come on, Kyle!" the sorceress sings, "I'm not rushing blind, and Carson could be dead right now!"

There's a groan from her companion. "I've got that, but my legs don't agree, and frankly I don't have the mana for magic assistance."

"How about enough to pass the trail to me? My tank's still running on full."

"Alright," Kyle responds after a series of deep breaths, "We'll share. Try not to leave me too far in the dust."

Time passes, and the trail brightens. "We're starting to catch up," Lisa smiles, glancing sideways at her adjacent compatriot.

"And to think, you thought I wouldn't be able to keep up," he smirks. At the precise moment he does, he crashes into the wall closest to him, instantly unconscious.

"Kyle!" *THUNK* The sorceress meets a similar fate on the opposite wall; the last thing she sees before the lights go out is the trail disappearing entirely, an illusion from the very beginning...

* * *

><p>Jack's feet send echoes down the hallway as he hammers away from his pursuers. Laura had been caught unaware unfortunately, but at times like these, all that mattered was that he save his own skin. How had things gone so wrong?<p>

Well, the witch and the Jedi have a few things in common: both are very selective of their friends, both have a penchant for acting out of impulse, and they know some things about each other the others would never dream to be true. It's that last one that gets them into trouble.

"Why is your lightsaber purple?" the witch asks him, "Did Mace Windu finally stop freaking you out whenever you watch _Revenge of the Sith_?"

The orange mage shakes his head. "Actually, that bald head still gives me shivers. No, I got the purple 'saber because it's in between blue and red, the major colors of each faction. Since I dabble in both, it makes sense to have a symbol of my neutrality."

"But a clever hunter conceals himself, why would you go out of your way to make yourself noticeable?"

Jack, who thus far had stayed ahead of Laura, knocks her into the wall and holds his arm to her neck. "Because if I can scare a challenger off, I won't have to kill them, perhaps at all. A much better alternative, no?"

"Funny how our orange 'walker is a pacifist, no?"

A dart from the other end of the hallway pierces the witch's neck; she sinks to the ground as the panicking Jedi leaves her in the dust, fight or flight response carrying him away.

'Damnit, why did I do that?' he curses to himself, "My distracting her might just be what kills her. Okay, as soon as I can turn, I'll draw my 'saber and-" Unfortunately, the second dart now firmly in his calf, entwined with his momentum, send him crashing into the floor, sliding several feet before his captors stuff him in a sack, the same as the others...

* * *

><p>"Damn dirty surrakar!" Louisa screeches, lashing out with <span>frying pan<span> at a large, roughly reptilian humanoid. Beside her, Judas furiously lights into its compatriot, fists moving faster than arrows. Some had retreated, and one or two were dead, but for the most part it's an uphill battle for the pair.

"Why are they here?" the brawler asks aloud, "I thought these guys only lived in Zendikar."

The princess lets out a whoop after felling a particularly stubborn soul. "I don't give a shit why they're here, I just want them **out**. _Geh weg, Übelbestie!_"

"You really let loose during fights, don't you? I haven't seen you this amped up since that food fight in the ninth grade."

"And you, sir," Louisa grits her teeth after being pinned to the floor, "ask a lot of damn questions for an impulsive freedom fighter."

Judas spins over his quarry and snaps its neck in a fluid motion. "I'm not for complete freedom - just the freedom to act on our consciences."

"Then why on earth - **Banisher!**"

A somewhat scrawnier surrakar, blue magic oozing from his outstretched palm, watches as a horde of his kin finally subdue the two most troublesome of their prey. With a grunt, sacks fall to the floor from some unknown dimension, and darts are plugged in to the humans before they're stuffed inside their burlap cells. Another grunt signals them to return to base, and their new prisoners are dragged along the ground, helpless...

* * *

><p>Well, almost helpless.<p>

An invisible Sofia dances around the patrol, watching the sextet of bags for any movement. Seeing none, the clairvoyant carries on, determined to be taken to their leader.

It had started when she'd heard loud footsteps from all sides; in a panicked, she'd cast **Invisibility** and hoped for it to go away...until she saw the lumbering demi-humanoids carrying a pair of suspiciously human-looking sacks, and hence decided her friends needed help. So, she'd followed, and watched helplessly as her friends were captured in their pairs by the Zendikar natives. Finally, though, her torment pays Sofia back as she reaches their base - the _actual_ top of the tower.

The **banisher** shoves his palm through a vaguely hand-shaped hole in the brick, igniting a section of the wall with pure cerulean flame. As the procession continues with Sofia along for the ride, the sacks ripple - the party's awakening. The blue 'walker barely has a chance to notice the shift, however, as the bags are tossed at a - holy shit...

A giant of a surrakar sits on a throne sunk into the wall; it glows a vibrant crimson, radiating pure rage and bloodlust. 'A red-shifted surrakar...what a troubling discovery,' Sofia mulls.

"We've returned, Barbaruk," the **banisher** growls, "What is thine-"

Barbaruk holds a hand for silence, then points at the invisible clairvoyant. "Seize the intruder; her thoughts trouble me."

"What intruder?" the marauders ask in unison, frantically running around and trying to find their foe.

"Me," she whispers, dispelling **Invisibility** and sending a **Tidal Wave** at the horde. Along with sweeping several of them off their feet, the water splashing on the bags wakes the party. Stumbling out of their bags, another wave of tranq darts swoops from a set of balconies, sending them back into the drink and slumber...and then, lightning fell.

Carson, riding a spitting bolt of electrons, crashes onto a balcony and sends its occupants flying. Tossing **Ball Lightning** into the other group, the speedster crosses his arms with a smile. "Me, too, Barbar-Rust. Come get some!"

"As you wish, puny invader," the surrakar cracks, along with its neck and hands. He stands, the glow around him much more intense, and a **Raging Blast** washes over the Canadian and flings him against the wall. With a throaty growl/chuckle, Barbaruk shatters the stone beneath him with a mighty bound - only to fall back to it as Sofia ties him down with **Frozen Strands**.

"**Graaagh!**"an anger-infused Carson bellows, **Furious**ly **Launch**ing himself onto the surrakar, "**Die for me, whelp!**"

And the giant nearly does, his survival contingent simply on his refusal to die. The Canadian's twin knives buried deep in the flesh, Barbaruk grabs his attacker and flings him to the ground, breaking the clairvoyant's enchantment with searing red light. "Good try, invader, but not good enough."

"What about _this_, you oversized oaf!" Louisa cries from behind, bashing her mighty pan into the rager's skull. The others, having had "plenty" of time to gather themselves, and while they're still rather groggy, they have enough energy left in them to beat the shit out of their joint captor. Jack holds off until the others have had their turn, then deals a coup de grâce to Barbaruk, severing him down his waist with a pair of **Traumatic Blow**s. Kyle rouses himself completely, then looks to his small but merciless party.

"Good work, gang," he congratulates, "and a fine place to lay our heads for the time being. We've got some prisoners to deal with, but before that, I think we owe Carson and Sofia our thanks. Three cheers for our friends!"

**_"Huzzah! Huzzah! HUZZAH!"_** they cry, then collectively pass out from remnant tranquilizer in their systems. Carson and Sofia dispatch most of the prisoners, leaving two tied to the wall for later interrogation.

A little later, still not terribly exhausted, the Canadian tells Sofia his side of events, beginning with his arrival on the top floor. "I saw those guys walking around through the corridors while I was zooming around, but they never did catch wind of me. After a couple minutes, I got into their base by shorting their security system, then barricaded myself inside a storeroom. When I heard your **Tidal Wave** go down, I knew it was time to strike out, so I did. Glad you guys are safe - 'specially Lisa."

"Judas told me about that. Planning to make that public knowledge anytime soon?" the clairvoyant questions.

"Maybe," he shrugs, "as soon as I know she's still interested. What do you think, any chance?"

"She was pretty scared she'd lost you, Carson. It's certainly a possibility."

The speedster flashes Sofia a smile. "Thanks for the encouragement. Anyway, I think I'll go check on her; goodnight, Sophes."

"Good night, carrot-top. Don't burn yourself."

* * *

><p>The next "morning" - time-tracking takes a vacation in the tower - Kyle is the first to wake up, whereupon he discovers a rather grisly scene. Two surrakar, the ones who'd been spared, are against the wall, but only just; they've been eviscerated beyond any hope of redemption, especially after the amount of time that passed. The druid thinks quickly, and wakes up the twins.<p>

"Guys," he whispers, "Our prisoners are dead. I need your help setting up a **Speak With Spirits**."

"You can't torture them from beyond the grave, hon. Let dead dogs sleep," Lisa murmurs, clutching her rifle like a beloved pet.

Louisa glances at the bodies. "They probably wouldn't mind us avenging their deaths, though, sis..."

"Alright, fine; take 'em down and we'll see what we can do."

Releasing the corpses from their "captivity", Kyle finds himself even more disgusted by the killing. "I think they're missing parts…"

"Just check for entrails – we'll need them," the sorceress grimly replies, emptying an intestinal tract into a glass jug.

"Also, Kyle, do you have any sand? We'll need some for the ritual."

The druid pulls out a bag of pale fine powder and tosses it at Louisa. "Moon dust from my dad's stockpile. Same as sand for rituals, Laura checked."

"Of course she did," Lisa smirks.

"Alright," the princess shakes blood off her hands, "Let's do this thing. Lisa, the jug?"

"Right here. Sand?"

Louisa sprinkles the moon dust all around the container of surrakar guts. "Coating. Kyle, when you're ready."

"Grrfle," Kyle clears his throat, then whispers, "Go."

Black, white and green energy pours off the planeswalkers into the makeshift scrying pool; after several seconds, a wispy image of a surrakar appears before them.

"What you want?" it grunts in rough English.

Louisa gestures to the corpses. "Do you have any idea what killed you?"

"Yes," it nods, "the Gutcutter."

"And what is this 'Gutcutter'?" the druid asks, suspect of the idea.

The surrakar shrugs. "Don't know. Leave captives chained to wall, next morning blood in hall. Ward it off by just leaving them on the ground."

"Good to know next time," the sorceress mutters.

"One other thing," the princess asks, "Why did your people come to this tower?"

The surrakar's voice tightens with reverence. "It was safer than out there."

"What's out there?" Kyle probes.

"Everything..." the spirit fades with the word, leaving an ominous echo in its stride.

* * *

><p>Carson wakes up to find the trio of early-risers standing over a jar of rotting organs, and he quickly decides to stay clear for the time being. Instead, he gets to work rousing the others, leaving the mystical work to those who give a damn. After the whole group is ready to go, Kyle gathers them around the now-burning jar to discuss what they learned.<p>

"Just to clarify," Sofia caps, "we're going back down to get our stuff, but the entire outside world is in a state so dangerous, the fricken' surrakar were scared to be out and about, is that right?"

"Spot on, babe," Judas replies, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

The clairvoyant justs stares straight ahead. "You do know that's probably suicide, right Kyle?"

"Sure do," the druid agrees, "which is why we'll be using that tunnel system we worked on last year. It'll cut out some of the danger, for sure, although not all of it...damn goblins and dwarves love the things."

"I guess that'll have to do," Sofia continues her incredulous attitude, stunned by their mix of forethought and recklessness.

Jack raises a hand. "Do you think we should split up to make things easier? Otherwise it might take too long to get our shit before it all hits the fan."

"Good point, Jack; this is pretty time-critical," Judas, their division expert, chimes in, "We'll cut in half: Jack, you take the twins and Carson through y'alls' houses, while I take Kyle, Sofia and Laura through ours. Sound good?"

"But we just ransacked Kyle and Laura's house; split them up, along with Louisa and me," Lisa protests, albeit with sound evidence.

Kyle takes the ball. "Then I'll go with you, Jack and Carson, and Louisa can go with Sofia, Judas and Laura. Sound better?"

"Much, thank you," the sorceress rubs her hands together.

"Alright, now that that's settled," the druid continues, "let's hit the road. Last one down the stairs owes us all an uncommon!"

And so they rush down the stairs, eager to continue on the next leg of their journey - except for Sofia, who may just be right about her premonition...Guess we'll have to wait and see.


End file.
